Chigo’s Black-Owned Gay Bar Is Expandg Its Empire • Instct Magaze

Contents:

• CHIGO HAS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S LONGT-RUNNG BLACK-OWNED GAY BARS — AND IT’S ON THE SOUTH SI
• CHIGO GAY BARS AND CLUBS
• CHIGO’S BLACK-OWNED GAY BAR IS EXPANDG ITS EMPIRE
• GAY CHIGO
• CHICAGO BLACK GAY MEN’S CAUCUS
• CHIGO GAY NIGHTLIFE GUI: DOWNTOWN & SOUTH SI

CHIGO HAS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S LONGT-RUNNG BLACK-OWNED GAY BARS — AND IT’S ON THE SOUTH SI

We didn’t want to exclu our trans siblgs or gay men.

Chigo’s Black LGBTQ bargoers — historilly ncentrated on the South and Wt sis due to the cy’s bter legacy of segregatn — have long reported racist behavr gay and lbian bar spac, rangg om unduly thorough ID checks to mic polici that ban hip-hop and rap to explicly racist ments om lol bar owners. “I uldn’t tell you the last time I saw that kd of te diversy a space: gay men and queer women, nonbary and trans folks, people who are Black, Brown, whe, younger, olr… Havg that power is super important and that’s what I’m hopg to see — more spac that are owned, occupied, and ma by .

CHIGO GAY BARS AND CLUBS

“A lot of people that live south have to travel north to Northalsted [to fd a gay bar], ” Stephens said.

CHIGO’S BLACK-OWNED GAY BAR IS EXPANDG ITS EMPIRE

“It’s still very difficult for a lot of members of the Black and Brown LGBTQ muny, wh beg homosexual or jt beg who they are, ” Stephens said.

Our gay and lbian bars have a ltle b of somethg for everyone, wh late-night loung, dance clubs, burlque and drag shows, and long-standg neighborhood waterg hol almost every rner of the cy.

GAY CHIGO

And each wh their own unique history and out some of the bt gay bars and clubs to experience Chigo’s LGBTQ+ nightlife scene. Jeffery PubOne of the cy’s olst gay bars, Jeffery Pub is a neighborhood stutn. The South Shore staple is also one of Chigo’s first black-owned gay bars, makg all the more meangful for the spot’s many regulars.

Come for trivia, the ee Sunday night buffet, and the themed dance parti — then e back the next morng for bnch at attached sister rtrant ClosetYou n’t talk about gay bars Chigo whout talkg about Northalsted (also known as Boystown). Come for happy hour, Sunday afternoon mimosas, or late StoryLookg for a gay bar near downtown Chigo? For Black, Gay Chigoans, It’s Always Been Jeffery Pub.

In the first stallment of our seri on the cy’s olst gay bars, we vis the South Shore stalwart — Chigo’s only black-owned tablishment of s kd. Across the street there on the rner, there was a gay bar lled Maxe’s. And when Maxe’s abptly closed, even though this was a straight bar, gay people started g here [stead].

CHICAGO BLACK GAY MEN’S CAUCUS

By the mid-60s, was fully a gay bar. “Even around here, there’s not many bars where people n e out and have a good time, let alone [one that's] predomantly gay, unls you go up north to Boystown, " Thompson says. One of the untry’s longt-nng Black-owned gay bars wants you to know has a sister bs… for pizza lovers.

This is, part, bee Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is openly gay, vised the bs durg her re-electn mpaign trail. It’s not specifilly a gay bar, but Jamal Junr has ntued to sist that the bs be as clive as possible. The current owner of Chigo’s olst gay bar (Jeffery Pub), Jamal Junr, has regnized that there is an overlooked mographic this landspe of sports bars.

CHIGO GAY NIGHTLIFE GUI: DOWNTOWN & SOUTH SI

Prently, 2020, Jeffery pub is the only black- and gay-owned bar Chigo. Combe this statistic wh the one and only black- and gay-owned sports bar the cy and you’re sure to scratch your head.

It's also home to one of the bt gay scen the untry. You'll fd many gay bars the Boystown district: a great place to beg if you're visg Chigo.